71 



latest experience has endorsed, and also the dates most suitable for the different 

 applications. These may be had upon request and should be secured and studied 

 by every owner of an orchard, large or small. 



HANDLING OF FRUIT. 



Very frequently fruit of excellent quality, that has been produced at the 

 expense of infinite pains and effort, has been greatly depreciated in value, if not 

 entirely ruined as a merchantable product, by the carelessness or ignorance of 

 those engaged in gathering the crop. Perhaps no operation in the process of 

 exchanging the products of the farm for adequate returns demands more careful 

 oversight or is more important, than that of harvesting. One of the great 

 advantages of the modern custom of 'heading low' is evident in the ease with which 

 the crop may be gathered without the necessity for the use of long ladders or 

 other means for reaching the tops of high trees. 



It is quite possible for the experienced picker to gather fruit expeditiously 

 and at the same time with judgment and care, so as to avoid bruising, either with 

 the hands or in the receptacle that may be used to trasport it to the packing 

 house. Many different packages are in use for the latter purpose. It is essential 

 that they be strong, light, easily handled, and if possible, for the finer fruits at 

 least, protected in some way, so that the fruit may not come in contact with 

 rough or uneven surfaces. The slightest finger mark, or bruise, arising from 

 some seeming unimportant cause, will frequently result in a specimen of fruit 

 reaching the market in a decayed or spotted condition, thus scaling down the 

 value of the entire package to a very great extent; consequently the utmost care 

 in picking is not only desirable, but absolutely essential. 



The practice of grading fruit, both as to the size, colour and quality, has been 

 more generally adopted by Western fruitgrowers and much of their success in 

 commanding a superior price for their fruit, has been brought about from this 

 cause. Confidence has been established in their grades in the minds of the pub- 

 lic, and consequently f .o.b. sales and repeat orders have become quite customary. 

 This is as it should be, and just as soon as the average fruitgrower becomes 

 seized with the value of an established reputation for uniform grading and pack- 

 ing, so soon will the general reputation of Canadian fruit be advanced to that 

 extent, and a large part of the difficulty sometimes experienced in making direct 

 sales eliminated. 



There is room for great improvement along this line. From one end of the 

 Dominion to the other, complaints have been numerous, both from the wholesale 

 and retail trade, and from the consuming public, as to the difficulty that is exper- 

 ienced in securing packages of fruit of a uniform good quality. This condition 

 is no doubt very much aggravated in the case of long-distance shipments, as 

 what might seem but slight injuries or imperfections at the time of packing, 

 rapidly assume greater proportions as time goes on until the whole package shows 

 serious depreciation and waste. All the overhead charges on a package of fruit 

 are the same, irrespective of the quality of the contents, and for this reason alone, 

 if for no other, it is unprofitable to attempt to 'palm off' an inferior product, as 

 such practices eventually react upon the shipper to his disadvantage. 



Where complaints are so universal with regard to the grading and packing 

 of fruit for the market, there is no doubt whatever that there must be some 

 foundation for them. The efforts that are being put forth to educate the people 

 in regard to the best metiiods in handling fruit, ought to be productive of very 

 important results, and should be encouraged and extended. A strong public 

 sentiment should be also aroused amongst the fruitgrowers themselves, which 

 will not look upon practices of this kind with any degree of tolerance whether they 

 arise from carelessness and ignorance or are the result of intention to deceive. 



Different sections of this country are using packages of a varied character, 

 and to some extent we become creatures of habit in this respect. A general 



